Trip to Hawaii highlights Lady Eagles’ basketball schedule

Senior guard Talor Ward and her OC women's basketball teammates will play in Hawaii and Colorado during the 2013-14 season.

OKLAHOMA CITY (July 2, 2013) – A Thanksgiving-week trip to Hawaii highlights the Oklahoma Christian women’s basketball schedule for the 2013-14 season, which was announced Tuesday.

The 27-game schedule for coach Stephanie Findley’s squad also includes a two-game trip to Colorado along with a 20-game Heartland Conference schedule. OC’s number of conference games has increased this season with the addition of Rogers State and Lubbock Christian (Texas) – both former Sooner Athletic Conference rivals – into the Heartland Conference.

OC’s games will count in the Heartland standings, although conference officials refuse to allow the Lady Eagles to compete for the regular-season title while the university is in the NCAA Division II membership process. Had the Lady Eagles’ conference games counted last season, they would have finished third in the league. OC went 20-13 overall.

The Lady Eagles’ season opener will be at 1 p.m. on Nov. 9, when they host York (Neb.) in the annual homecoming game. Three days later, OC will host longtime rival Southern Nazarene at 5:30 p.m. OC beat eventual National Christian College Athletic Association champion SNU in two out of three meetings last season, including in the NCCAA Central Region title game.

The Lady Eagles will play in a classic at Colorado State-Pueblo on Nov. 15-16, facing Colorado School of Mines at 2 p.m. Central time the first day and the host school at 6 p.m. Central time on the second day.

OC then open conference play at St. Mary’s (Texas) on Nov. 21, followed by a trip to Heartland rival Texas A&M International on Nov. 23. Conference game times are 5:30 p.m. for Thursday games and 1 p.m. for Saturday games.

The Lady Eagles next will travel to Honolulu and spend six days in the islands while playing a pair of games in the O’ahu Thanksgiving Classic. OC will face Hawaii Pacific at 9 p.m. Central time on Nov. 27 and Chaminade (Hawaii) at 7 p.m. Central time on Nov. 28. It will be the first time the Lady Eagles ever have played in Hawaii.

The first of two four-game conference homestands will begin Dec. 5 against St. Edward’s (Texas). OC will host McMurry (Texas) on Dec. 7, Lubbock Christian on Dec. 14 and defending conference regular-season champion Texas-Permian Basin on Dec. 16. OC beat UTPB in the final regular-season game of the 2012-13 campaign.

After the Christmas break, OC will return to conference play, visiting Arkansas-Fort Smith on Jan. 2 and Rogers State on Jan. 4. The Lady Eagles’ final nonconference game will be Jan. 9 at Washburn (Kan.), with the game time set for 7 p.m.

A game against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Jan. 16 will start another four-game homestand, during which OC will host Newman (Kan.) on Jan. 18, Texas A&M International on Jan 23 and St. Mary’s on Jan. 25.

Then comes a four-game road trip to McMurry on Jan. 30, St. Edward’s on Feb. 1, Texas-Permian Basin on Feb. 6 and Lubbock Christian on Feb. 8.

OC will close the home portion of its schedule with a two-game homestand against Rogers State on Feb. 13 and Arkansas-Fort Smith on Feb. 15. The Lady Eagles will visit Newman on Feb. 27 and Oklahoma Panhandle State on March 1 to wrap up the regular season.

The Lady Eagles again will participate in the NCCAA Central Region tournament in March, although the site has yet to be determined.